About Generative AI sector in San Francisco, United States
Top Generative AI Companies in San Francisco, United States
Here is the list of top Generative AI startups in San Francisco, United States
1. OpenAI
Key facts about OpenAI
- Founded Year: 2015
- Location: San Francisco (United States)
- Stage: Series F
- Total Funding till date: $180B
- Investors: SoftBank Group, Microsoft and 89 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series F, Apr 22, 2026, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 89/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 1 of 178 Competitors
2. Perplexity
Key facts about Perplexity
- Founded Year: 2022
- Location: San Francisco (United States)
- Stage: Series E
- Total Funding till date: $1.72B
- Investors: IVP, New Enterprise Associates and 61 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Angel, Dec 05, 2025, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 85/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 1 of 47 Competitors
3. Anthropic
Key facts about Anthropic
- Founded Year: 2021
- Location: San Francisco (United States)
- Stage: Series H
- Total Funding till date: $132B
- Investors: GIC, Amazon and 114 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series H, Apr 21, 2026, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 83/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 3 of 178 Competitors
4. Speak
Key facts about Speak
- Founded Year: 2016
- Location: San Francisco (United States)
- Stage: Series C
- Total Funding till date: $162M
- Investors: Accel, OpenAI and 25 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series C, Nov 13, 2024, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 78/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 1 of 36 Competitors
5. Recraft
Key facts about Recraft
- Founded Year: 2022
- Location: San Francisco (United States)
- Stage: Series B
- Total Funding till date: $42M
- Investors: Accel, Khosla Ventures and 11 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series B, May 05, 2025, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 73/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 2 of 181 Competitors
Companies founded year-on-year in the Generative AI sector in San Francisco
85 Generative AI startups in San Francisco were founded in 2023 - this is the most number of startups founded in any year in the last 10 years.
- Total Number of Companies
Year | No. of companies |
|---|---|
2026 | - |
2025 | 32 |
2024 | 74 |
2023 | 85 |
2022 | 48 |
2021 | 27 |
2020 | 15 |
2019 | 9 |
2018 | 4 |
2017 | 19 |
Stage-wise distribution of Generative AI sector companies in San Francisco
Out of the total 373 Generative AI companies in San Francisco, 198 have secured funding. Among them, 79 have reached Series A or higher, and 50 to Series B or beyond.
Company Stage | No. of companies |
|---|---|
Founded | 373 |
Funded | 198 |
Series A+ | 79 |
Series B+ | 50 |
Series C+ | 34 |
Funding Trends in the Generative AI sector in San Francisco
Total funding year-on-year in the Generative AI sector in San Francisco
The Generative AI sector in San Francisco saw a total funding of more than $334B in the last 10 years. The most amount of funding has been in 2026 at more than $230B till date.
- Total Funding
Year | Total Funding |
|---|---|
2026 | $230B |
2025 | $66.4B |
2024 | $20.5B |
2023 | $13.7B |
2022 | $1.13B |
2021 | $643M |
2020 | $401M |
2019 | $1.22B |
2018 | $69.5M |
2017 | $90.4M |
Recent Funding Rounds in Generative AI in San Francisco
Company | Round Raised | Amount Raised | Funding Date | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Series A | 5498 | Jul 30, 2026 | ||
Series C | 5511 | Jul 14, 2026 | ||
Series B | 7220 | May 28, 2026 | ||
Series D | 9813 | May 27, 2026 | and 16 more | |
Series C | 1691 | May 20, 2026 |
Top Investors in Generative AI in San Francisco
Investor | Location | Top Portfolio Companies |
|---|---|---|
Menlo Park (United States) | ||
Palo Alto (United States) | ||
Cambridge (United States) | ||
Menlo Park (United States) | ||
London (United Kingdom) |
M&A activity in Generative AI sector in San Francisco
Company | Acquisition Type | Acquisition Date | Acquirers |
|---|---|---|---|
Business Acquisition | Jun 19, 2026 | ||
Business Acquisition | Jun 16, 2026 | ||
Business Acquisition | Mar 11, 2026 | ||
Business Acquisition | Feb 18, 2026 | ||
Business Acquisition | Feb 03, 2026 |
Acquisition trends in Generative AI sector in San Francisco
Here are the acquisition trends in Generative AI sector in San Francisco:
- Total Number of Acquisitions
Year | No. of companies |
|---|---|
2026 | 5 |
2025 | 9 |
2024 | 2 |
2023 | - |
2022 | - |
2021 | - |
2020 | - |
2019 | - |
2018 | - |
2017 | - |
Colleges which produce the most Generative AI companies in San Francisco
Companies founded by alumni from top colleges in the Generative AI in San Francisco
Most number of Generative AI startups in San Francisco have been founded by alumni from Stanford University, Harvard University and University of California (Berkeley).
College | No. of companies |
|---|---|
Stanford University | 29 |
Harvard University | 16 |
University of California (Berkeley) | 15 |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 13 |
Carnegie Mellon University | 12 |
Columbia University | 6 |
Cornell University | 6 |
Stanford Business School | 6 |
BITS Pilani | 5 |
IIT Kharagpur | 5 |
Total funding in Generative AI companies founded by alumni from top colleges in San Francisco
In the last 10 years, Harvard University graduates' Generative AI companies in San Francisco have raised the most funding among top colleges. Stanford University alumni are second, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni are third.
College | Total Funding |
|---|---|
Harvard University | $323B |
Stanford University | $322B |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | $190B |
University of Toronto | $184B |
New York University | $184B |
Carnegie Mellon University | $184B |
Stanford Business School | $135B |
Columbia University | $135B |
Princeton University | $135B |
University of California (Berkeley) | $2.11B |